It has seemed interesting to me that the “bad boys” and “bad girls” always seemed to have an edge when it came to success in their scenes. Now, when I say “bad boy/girl”, I am not talking about a felon – I merely talking about students that often string up a few tardies and are on a bit of a first name basis with the administrators of the school. They can sometimes be in the wrong place at the wrong time. They are often totally great kids, they just find themselves pushing the rules a bit.
But why are the majority of these students so successful in their scene work? I believe it is because they live out the acting truth that you must always DO BEFORE YOU THINK. Good acting is more about the impulse than it is the plan. Now, I do know that your momma says over and over that you must “THINK BEFORE YOU ACT”. That may work when it comes to living peacefully in society and pleasing the parents but it can make for some deadly acting. The “correct response” is seldom as fabulous and juicy as the unedited, spontaneous one.